Machines for binding packets of perforated sheets

ABSTRACT

A machine for binding packets of perforated sheets to book form with wire binding elements which may be closed through perforations in the sheets of the packet wherein the packet of sheets is conveyed to a binding station by conveying means comprising an endless chain provided with projections to engage in the perforations of the sheets of a packet, the chain being movable between a loading station and the binding station, means being provided at the binding station to lift a package of sheets from the projections of the chain and present it to a wire binding element closing device.

United States Patent 1191 Adams et al.

[ June 17, 1975 [54] MACHINES FOR BINDING PACKETS OF 3,334,918 8/1967Pigna et al. 11/1 A PERFORATED SHEETS 3,451,081 6/1969 Liouville ll/l A3,555,587 1/1971 11/1 A [75] Inventors: Sidney George William Adams,3,667,076 6/1972 Aglaghanian 11/1 A Walton-on-Thames; Edgar HoraceGalhford, Esher both of England Primary Examiner-Lawrence Charles 7Assignee; James Bum Bindings Limited, Attorney, Agent, or FirmWood,Herron & Evans Surrey, England V 22 Filed: Jan. 21, 1974 [57] ABSTRACT gA machine for binding packets of perforated sheets to 1211 Appl' 4990book form with wire binding elements which may be a closed throughperforations in the sheets of the packet [30] Foreign ApplicationPriority Data wherein the packet of sheets is conveyed to a binding Jan.23. 1973 United Kingdom 3498/73 Station y Conveying means comprising anendless chain provided with projections to engage in the per- [52] US.Cl 11/1 A; 270/58; ll/l A forations of the Sheets of a Packet, the Chainbeing [51] Int. Cl. B42c 19/08 movable between a loading Station and thebinding [58] Field f Search 11 1 A, 1 AC, 1 270 g station, means beingprovided at the binding station to lift a package of sheets from theprojections of the 5 References Ci chain and present it to a wirebinding element closing UNITED STATES PATENTS deme- 2,266,l71 12/1941Davis .i 270/58 4 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures lu Illl ll llll lfi W 29282426 29 8 2L 9252s I 86 2 *w 531 I 6 5 x630 I\\w-20 20 22 66 I 2 6L 1x F1 R F2 5 2O L 58 L5 52 53 E 20 PATENTEDJUN 17 1975 SHEET PATENTEDJUN17 1975 SHEET PATENTEIJJUN 17 m5 SHEET 1 I llllllllklalllll 1 MACHINESFOR BINDING PACKETS OF PERFORATED SHEETS This invention relates tomachines for binding packets of perforated sheets to book form with wirebinding elements each formed from a length of metal wire bent to form aseries of curved hairpin shaped prongs on which the sheets are impaledand which are brought to chines will be referred to herein as machinesof the kind set forth".

When it is in the condition in which the impaling of the sheets on itsprongs is effected, each binding element is in the form of a tube havinga slot in its wall extending over its whole length. In that condition,it will be said to be open; in its final condition in which the slot isclosed, it will be said to be closed".

The invention is particularly concerned with means for transporting apackage of perforated sheets to a binding station at which the bindingelement is closed with its prongs projecting through the alignedperforations of the sheets.

Certain problems arise when using machines of this kind as theperforations of the sheets of a packet have to be kept aligned when thepacket is presented for binding. Hitherto packets have normally beenpres- .ented manually, restricting output.

A machine of the kind set forth in accordance with the invention haspacket conveying means in the form of an endless chain provided withprojections to engage in the perforations of sheets of a packet andmovable between a loading station and a binding station, at which meansare provided to lift the packet from the projections and present it towire binding element closing device.

' The projections provide means whereby the perforations can easily bealigned as the sheets are impaled thereon, despite any irregularity ofthe sheets of a packet and hold the perforations in alignment during thefeed to the binding station.

The loading station may comprise two feed stations at one of which apacket of sheets may be impaled on the projections and at the other ofwhich covers for the packet" may be placed on the sheets. In this casethe loading station extends along a fair length of bed of the machine toenable the two feed stations to be spaced apart by at least the width ofthe packet. The chain drive will then be arranged to move a packet fromthe first feed station to the second (through an intermediatereststation) as a packet is fed into the binding station (and a bound bookis fed out therefrom).

The means at the binding station to lift a packet from the chain andpresent it for binding may comprise a two part clamp which may beoperated so that the lower part lifts a packet from the chain and clampsit against the upper part and the complete clamp is then fedtransversely of the movement of the chain. After binding the clamp movesback and discharge means are operated to remove the bound packet.

An example of a machine in accordance with the invention is shownsomewhat diagrammatically in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. I shows a length of binding material from which binding elementsfor use in the' machines are made;

FIG. 2 shows that materialbent to the open form in which it is used inthe machine;

FIG. 3 is a plan of the machine; and

ring shape by bringing their closed end of points into the vicinity oftheir open ends or roots. Such ma- FIGS. 4-6 are diagrams of the bindingstation of the machine illustrating three stages ina machine cyclebetween a packet entering the station and being bound therein.

FIG. 1 shows a length of steel wire bent to form a band comprising aseries of straight hairpin-shaped prongs 10 having closed ends or points12 and open ends or roots 14, the prongs at their roots being connectedto their neighbours by straight portions 15. To enable such a band to beused for binding packets of perforated sheets to book form, the prongsare brought to the curved shape shown in FIG. 2 in which, in end view,they have two approximately semi-circular por-, tions giving them thegeneral shape of a FIG. 3. The

band is thus converted into a tube having in its wall a longitudinalslot 16 extending over its whole length from which can becut to formelements for the binding of packets of perforated sheets, lengthsappropriate to the size of the sheets- The binding operation comprisesimpaling the perforated sheets on the curved prongs and bringing thepoints 12 of the prongs into the vicinity of their roots. The latteroperation is assisted by the kink 17 in the prongs but the kink is notessential, ie the prongs can be C-shaped.

In the machine shown in FIG. 3, the binding station B has packets 20 ofperforated sheets fed to it from a loading station L and wire bindingelements W fed to it transversely in the manner described in detail inthe specification of our copending application Ser. Nos. 443,945, filedFeb. 20, 1974 and 434,989, filed Jan. 21, 1974.

The packets 20 are fed along a feed table 22 by means of an endlesschain 24 provided with upwardly extending spikes 26 on which theperforations 28 of the sheets of a packet are impaled.

The packets 20 are placed in position with the aid of adjustable markers29 with some of the perforations 28 of the sheets impaled on the spikes26 of the chain at a feed station F1. The chain is then driven along adistance equal tothe gap between the feed station F and the rest stationR so that the packet inserted at the feed station is moved during thefirst motion of the chain to the rest station and from then to a secondfeed station F2. At this second feed station covers for the packet,which are also perforated, may be placed on top of the perforated sheetsso that they will be bound onto the packet. The advantage of placing thecovers onto the chain at a separate station from that at which thesheets are impaledzon the chain, is that the covers can be kept in aseparate stack and they are often longer and/or thicker than thesheets'of the packet.

It will be appreciated that the act of impaling the perforations ontothe spikes causes the perforations to be aligned rather than the sidesof the sheets. As it is the perforations which have to be kept inalignment to receive the wire binding element this is advantageous inthe case where the row of perforations may not be completely square tothe sides of the sheets.

The spikes are designed substantially to fill the perforations so thatthe packets do not wobble during their movement along the table 22.

On movement of a packet from a sensing station S to the binding stationB the packet is moved between upper and lower clamp members 30, 32 theupper surface of the lower member 32 being aligned with the table 22which, as can be seen from FIGS. 4-6, slopes downwardly towards thechain. The spikes 26 are inclined at a slight angle to the normal to thetable so as to locate the top sheets or more particularly a thick cover,a little forward of the lower sheets to allow free entry of the prongsof a binding element when closing through the holes.

When the packet has been located completely within the members 30, 32 ofthe clamp as can be seen in FIG.

1, the chain drive dwells and the lower clamp member 32 which is carriedby two arms 34 one at each end and each pivotted at 36, is pivottedupwardly by operating arms 38, 40 as a result of a movement of the maincam shaft of the machine (not shown). This upward movement lifts thepacket 20 from the spikes 26 of the feed chain and causes the uppersurface of the packet to be engaged against the clamp member 30, furtherpivotal upward movement against the bias of a spring 48 to the positionshown in FIG. where the packet is substantially horizontal then occurs.At this position a roller 42 carried by a pair of arms 44 supporting theupper clamp member 30 engages the under side of a control member 46 theclamp then tightly holding the packet 20. The arms 44 one at each sideof the clamp being connected by a bar 35.

The arms 34 and 44 are then moved horizontally to the left from theposition of FIG. 5 to that of FIG. 6, with rollers 50 carried by thelower arm 34 running along a channel support member 52 and the rollers42 running along the flat under surface of the members 46. The movementis such as to bring the perforations 28 of the packet of sheets held bythe clamp, within a pair of wire closing tools 54, 56 which areconveniently those described in detail in the specification of ourBritish Pat. No. 1209939.

The closing tools 54, 56 are then operated to cause the prongs of thewire binding element W to close through the perforations of the sheetsof the packet to bind the packet.

The arms 34 and 44 are then moved back horizontally to the right (asseen in FIGS. 4-6) carrying the bound packet between the clamp membersuntil they reach a position in which the left hand end of the packet isclear of the spikes 26 of the chain. The two arms are then pivotteddownwardly to deposit the bound packet on the work table 22. Thelowermost clamp member 32 moves downwardly to a position in line withthe table but the uppermost member 30 is held clear of the packet in aposition in which a roller 58 carried on an upwardly extending bracket60 of the arm 44 engages the upper flat surface of the member 46 as canbe seen in FIG. 4. This in effect opens the clamp.

The bound packet 20' is then ejected from the binding station by ejectorbars 62 which are carried by two endless chains 63 running beneath thetable. The bars, as can be seen in FIG. 3, rise up at the left hand sideof the binding station through a slot 64 and then sweep across the tableto a position beyond the right hand side of the binding station wherethe bound packet is discharged from the machine. Alternatively ejectorbars can be carried projecting downwardly from belts moving above andalong the table the bars engaging the ends of bound packets from aboveand moving them one by one off from the table.

During the ejection of a bound packet 20 the chain 24 is again driven sothat the next packet of unbound sheets is moved from the sensing stationS to the binding station B. As the unbound packet moves into the bindingstation the left hand ejector bar 62 is beneath the table and emerges upthrough the slot 64 after the packet has moved into the station andmoves down fromabove the table and is then positioned adjacent the lefthand side of the packet ready for ejection thereof, after completion ofbinding of the newly entered packet (see FIG. 3).

If no packet is received at the sensing station on a' feed movement ofthe chain 24, a sensing switch 66 remains in its inoperative position toprevent the machine from operating if no packet is presented forbinding.

The clamp constituted by clamp members 30, 32 can be adjusted toaccommodate packets of differing thickness by adjusting the position ofthe roller 42 relative to the arm 44. The axis of the roller 42 iscarried by a plate having a projecting screw or bolt 66 which extendsthrough a quadrant slot 68 in a plate 70 on the arm 44. By slackeningthe bolt 66 and repositioning it in the quadrant 68 the height of theroller 42 relatively to the arm 44 can readily be adjusted.

The wire binding element W is fed as a strip longitudinally by means ofa chain C from a reel R to the wire closing tools 54, 56 to a receptionstation RS at which predetermined lengths are cut from the strip andmoved transversely to the chain to the closing tools 54, 56 in themanner fully described in the specification of our copending applicationSer. Nos. 434,989, filed Jan. 21, 1974 and 443,945, filed Feb. 20, 1974.

We claim: 1. A machine for binding a packet of perforated sheets intobook form, said packet being so bound by a wire binding element closedthrough the perforations in said packet, said machine including anendless chain movable between a loading station and a binding station,said endless chain having projections adapted to engage the perforationsof the sheets of said packet,

a closing device located adjacent to said binding station, said closingdevice being adapted to bind the sheets of said packet with said wirebinding element, and

lift means located at said binding station, said lift means beingoperable to remove said packet from the projections of said chain, andsaid lift means being movable to present said packet into operativerelation with said closing device.

2. A binding machine as claimed in claim 1, said loading stationcomprising two feed stations spaced apart one from the other by at leastthe width of a packet, said packet being impaled on said chain sprojections at one feed station and a cover for said packet beingimpaled on said chain s projections at the other feed station.

3. A binding machine as claimed in claim 1, said lift means comprising aclamp device having a lower clamp part movable to lift said packet fromsaid chain into clamping contact against an upper clamp part, saidclamps being then movable transversely of the direction of movement ofsaid chain into operative relation with said closing device. i

4. A binding machine as claimed in claim 1 including discharge meanscooperatively related with said lift means, said discharge means beingadapted to move said packet away from said clamp device after binding.

1. A machine for binding a packet of perforated sheets into book form,said packet being so bound by a wire binding element closed through theperforations in said packet, said machine including an endless chainmovable between a loading station and a binding station, said endlesschain having projections adapted to engage the perforations of thesheets of said packet, a closing device located adjacent to said bindingstation, said closing device being adapted to bind the sheets of saidpacket with said wire binding element, and lift means located at saidbinding station, said lift means being operable to remove said packetfrom the projections of said chain, and said lift means being movable topresent said packet into operative relation with said closing device. 2.A binding machine as claimed in claim 1, said loading station comprisingtwo feed stations spaced apart one from the other by at least the widthof a packet, said packet being impaled on said chain''s projections atone feed station and a cover for said packet being impaled on saidchain''s projections at the other feed station.
 3. A binding machine asclaimed in claim 1, said lift means comprising a clamp device having alower clamp part movable to lift said packet from said chain intoclamping contact against an upper clamp part, said clamps being thenmovable transversely of the direction of movement of said chain intooperative relation with said closing device.
 4. A binding machine asclaimed in claim 1 including discharge means cooperatively related withsaid lift means, said discharge means being adapted to move said packetaway from said clamp device after binding.